Bernard Buffet, star of post-war painting, is unknown to the general public today. The Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris is rehabilitating this "forgotten" artist with a major retrospective of judiciously selected works.
A controversial painter
The choice of the Museum of Modern Art may seem surprising as the artist divides. Never before had a Parisian museum dedicated an exhibition to Bernard Buffet. As Dominique Gagneux, curator of the exhibition, rightly pointed out, whether hated or adored, Bernard Buffet leaves no one indifferent. Yet, if his name is not forgotten, his painting is largely forgotten. Thus, the exhibition is intended as a repair, a tribute to the one who was, in his early days, designated as the successor of Pablo Picasso. The Beaux Arts magazine of September 2016 on the 50 best exhibitions to see in September headlined the brief devoted to the latter: "Bernard Buffet: towards an exit from purgatory?». The proposed chronological itinerary makes it possible to rethink the value of the work in relation to the question of reception.
A post-war artist…
The themes addressed by the artist are varied, but the style is constant. He found it in 1955 and never abandoned it. The line is incisive and the graphics dry. Linearity is decisive for him. The emaciated characters with their static figures do not particularly solicit the viewer's gaze. The subjects of his first works are male and female nudes for which he is noticed. His paintings reflect the post-war desolation. Critics and the press praised him and struggled to put him in a box.
And misunderstood by critics
The paintings of the late period are regarded with contempt by many critics and art historians who accuse Bernard Buffet of having yielded to ease and systematization. It is true that the canvases of the last rooms are more spectacular and less interesting but testify to the artist's fury of painting.
The treatment of his notoriety does not obstruct the analysis of the work but allows to renew the look on a star artist. A curious exhibition to discover.
Bernard Buffet retrospective
From 14 October 2016 to 26 February 2017
Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de
Paris 11 Avenue du Président Wilson 75116 Paris
Article written by Armelle Girard
